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Maryland health exchange opens website for browsing

Capital (Annapolis, MD)

With consumers facing a shorter period to enroll in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, Maryland health exchange officials have opened their online marketplace so residents can get an early look at the costs of plans, which are expected to be higher this year.

Open enrollment starts Nov. 1 and lasts until Dec. 15 - 45 days down from three months last year.

"We have opened up anonymous shopping so people can now look at plans and see what benefits best fit them," said Dr. Howard Haft, interim executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, which operates the insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act. "They don't have to wait. They can plan now."

About 150,000 Marylanders bought private plans last year through the exchange and others bought directly from insurers, mostly people who do not get insurance through their employers. Many more enrolled in Medicaid, the federal insurance program for low-income residents, which was expanded under the health law.

The program, known as Obamacare, has become a flashpoint in Washington, with President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers unsuccessfully seeking torepeal or replace the law to make good on campaign promises going back years. Advocates and others have said the shortened enrollment period, as well as reduced marketing and hefty premium increases, could deter shoppers from buying coverage.

Exchange officials note that nine out of 10 people who bought plans on the exchange received federal subsidies to offset the cost. They also report that the percentage of uninsured in the state has been cut in half by the program, and now stands at around 6.1 percent.

Haft said he doesn't expect the shortened enrollment to deter people from enrolling in plans. Last year, 94 percent of people enrolled within the first 45 days anyway. There are also more ways to enroll, including through a mobile app.

Maryland also isn't hampered by some of the restrictions that have been put on exchanges run by the federal government, such as limited enrollment on weekends. The local officials also know the market better and can more precisely target people with marketing efforts, Haft said.

"I am still very optimistic," Haft said. "I think there are some very positive aspects for this particular enrollment period. Each year, we gain more understanding of the marketplace so we can address people's needs in our outreach."

Advocacy group Health Care Access Maryland, which helps people enroll in plans, already has begun spreading the message about the shortened enrollment period.

"I am not really concerned about losing people," CEO Traci Kodeck said. "I think we are getting the word out early that it is a shortened time period."

As questions linger about the future of the Affordable Care Act, Kodeck said, advocates are encouraging people to enroll rather than try to predict what will happen later.

Consumers can expect higher premiums this year as insurers blame the costs of treating a small number of very sick patients. There are also fewer insurers offering plans because Cigna said it would not offer plans this year and state insurance regulators closed the co-op Evergreen Health because it had become insolvent.